Retailers Failing Consumers in Digital

Posted on 7.07.2015

When it comes to supporting consumers throughout the shopping journey (across channels and stores), retailers are struggling.

Retail Systems Research has released findings from its 2015 Benchmark Report, Commerce Convergence: Closing The Gap Between Online And In-Store, and revealed that retailers are under-estimating just how much "digital" influences physical shopping experiences.

"Retailers truly understand that the experience they are delivering today falls far short of the consumer’s desired experience," reports Steve Rowen, managing partner at RSR Research and co-author of the report. "And they know there are options out there, but even the best performers are being overly cautious, fearing both the cost and the pain of making the change."

The report provides several interesting insights, including:

+ Retailers recognize that in-store employees need to do more to create customer engagement, but they also recognize that more will happen best when both store associates and consumers are able to leverage mobile technology as part of that engagement.

+ They are also resistant to the idea of adding technology around the Point of Sale, fearing it will make their store systems more complex, more expensive, and ultimately more complicated for store employees to use.

+ Yet retailers report that Point of Sale systems are no longer enough to service customers in stores. The best performers have vastly different plans to address these shortcomings.